Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI?
Our tales of AI developing the will to survive, commandeer resources, and manipulate people say more about us than they do about language models.
Why Are We Using Machines to Study Our Inner Lives?
Increasingly scientists are testing chatbots rather than humans in experiments
The Nautilus Guide to the Best Books on the Science of Art
Inside the brain and aesthetic experience
Your Dementia Risk Is Higher If Your Spouse Has It—But It’s More Than Shared Lifestyle
A new study looked at almost one million married couples and found dementia clustered among couples. Shared lifestyle doesn’t explain everything.
Latest Stories
Australia’s Greater Gliders Fly Majestically From Tree to Tree—And Now We Know Exactly How Far
It’s not as far as we thought, though
How Tunas Evolved to Become an Apex Predator of the Sea
Contrary to popular belief, it had little to do with the dinosaur-killing asteroid
The Avocados That May Save Us from a Guacamole Apocalypse
Tracing the roots of diversity in the coveted fruit in Central America
Read Stories from Our Newest Print Issue: Precarious
See moreThe Cephalopods Are Coming
Fossil records reveal Earth’s mass extinctions are followed by a rise of ocean cephalopods. They’re rising again.
Schrödinger’s Kittens Are All Grown Up
Offspring of the most famous thought experiment in physics are now testing the very fabric of the universe
The Most Precarious Day in the Universe
On the same day the world descended into war, physicists saw reality itself unraveling
Get the Nautilus newsletter
Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the brightest living thinkers.
Astronomy
See more AstronomyHow Mariner 4 Rewrote What We Know About Mars
It killed the dreams of science-fiction fans, but kick-started decades of Martian exploration
When Galaxies Clash
Is a new image of star systems colliding a vision of our Milky Way’s future?
The Loving Embrace of the Milky Way
Researchers have discovered that our galaxy’s outermost spiral arms are wide open and farther away than we thought
History
See more HistoryHow Hannibal’s War Elephants Helped to Determine His Route Through the Alps
When you go into battle with nearly 40 gigantic pachyderms, you need to take the shortest path possible
The Rabies Vaccine Debuted Nearly 150 Years Ago Today
Pioneering microbiologist Louis Pasteur helped save the life of a dog-bitten boy
This Was a Big Week for Marie Curie, More Than 120 Years Ago
Despite steep odds, she became the first woman in France to earn a doctorate in science
Psychology
See more PsychologyMonkeys Interpret Shapes Similarly to Humans
The continuum of geometric intuition from people to other primates
What Became of the Chimps Who Revolutionized Our Understanding of Animal Behavior?
It’s a harrowing tale of deadly winters in Berlin captivity
Get unlimited, ad-free Nautilus. Become a member today.
Environment
See more EnvironmentIt Was a Record-Breaking Year for Dust Storms
The worst since the Dust Bowl in some places
A “Dead” Coral Reef Found Thriving Off the Coast of Africa
Scientists in the 1960s thought the ecosystem was lifeless
What Satellite Photos of Penguin Poop Tell Us About Earth’s Health
Climate change is painting with an Adélie penguin palette on Antarctic ice floes
Zoology
See more ZoologyRecord of Human Migration Hiding in the DNA of a Musky Rodent
The Asian house shrew stowed away on routes of human commerce for millennia
The Bird-Singing Contests That Are Fueling a Conservation Crisis
Millions of Southeast Asian songbirds are trapped and trafficked every year
When Monkeys Enter the Uncanny Valley
3-D avatars of macaques fool their flesh-and-blood counterparts—up to point
Philosophy
See more PhilosophyWhat a Picture of a Dog Has to Do with Reason and Logic
People who can’t see images in their minds challenge an old philosophical standby
What Makes Humans Stupid
It takes intelligence to get things spectacularly wrong. An essay on our undoing.
The Inventor of the Thinking Machine Didn’t Worry. Neither Should You
In this age of AI anxiety, listen to your heart
Plants and Their Ants: When Flora and Fauna Team Up
Mutualistic partnerships between species abound across nature—but it’s a tricky dance to make sure both parties keep pulling their weight
Read more
See all postsWhy the Cyclospora Outbreak Is Hard to Pin Down: An Intimate Encounter
The parasite has a long incubation period, which means affected people might not experience explosive diarrhea up to two weeks after exposure
This Robot Can Flap Its Wings and Swim
Being able to both fly and swim isn’t easy—but the FAAV does it
How Fruit Flies Tell What Time of Year It Is Without a Calendar
How do they know to take a break during the winter?
Radar Map Shows Wildfires in Canada Blanketing the US with Smoke
More than 800 wildfires are currently active
Drinking Water With Meals May Make You Eat More, Not Less
This common dieting tip might be a myth
The Warrior Life of Ancient Egyptian Princesses
These weren’t your traditional Disney princesses
How Eating Healthier Could Reshape Agriculture
A Western diet is bad for us and bad for the planet
Some People Are Better at Eavesdropping Than Others
New study shows what happens in our brains as we track multiple conversations
Small, Cheap, and Full of Teeth: Baby Tyrannosaurs Were Plentiful and Precocious
Cat-sized tyrannosaur hatchlings had lots and lots of siblings
